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April 14, 2012

Saturday News Short: Brouhaha Is Building Among Roman Catholics and Clerics In The Pacific Northwest

Seattle
Archbishop J. Peter Sartain Is Sponsoring Political Petition Drive That
Is Anti-Gay And Anti Marriage-Equality - Coming to A Parish Near You
Tomorrow

On February 13, 2012 Christine O'Grady Gregoire,
the Roman Catholic Governor of the state of Washington signed a bill
that passed in both houses of the state legislature, that extends
marriage equality to LGBT citizens. The Archbishop of Seattle was
incensed that a Catholic governor signed the bill, and in retaliation he
is sponsoring a petition drive that begins tomorrow (Sunday) in the
parish churches of the Seattle Archdiocese.Archbishop
J. Peter Sartain has no trouble mixing politics and religion, because
he is driven by the same hate that possesses Cardinal Dolan.This issue is creating a schism among parishioners and churches in Seattle. Reuters reports in the Chicago Tribune:

Reverend
Michael Ryan of St. James Cathedral, which opted not to take part in
the petition drive, told church members in an email: "Doing so would, I
believe, prove hurtful and seriously divisive in our community."

Using
similar language, the pastoral life coordinator at St. Mary's Church,
Tricia Wittmann-Todd, said collecting signatures would be "hurtful and
divisive" to her parish.

"I
am particularly concerned about our youth who may be questioning their
own sexual identity and need our support at this time in their lives,"
she said in a statement.

As a practicing Catholic, married and a proud father of two sons, I was horrified to learn thatArchbishop
J. Peter Sartain has plans to implement what amounts to a
church-sponsored gay-bashing campaign. [“Church mixes it up with
politics,” NWWednesday, April 11.]

Whatever
Sartain and Catholic officialdom thinks of gay people, the proposed
inauguration of a petition drive to actively promote the rescinding of
the gay-marriage act is a most misguided and contemptuous maneuver on
the part of the institutional church in this region.

Sartain’s
pernicious petition does not in any way conform to the ethos of love,
toleration and compassion that so permeates the spirit of the Gospels.
There are many gay Catholics, some of whom are priests and nuns —
believe me, I know this for a fact. There are many devout and faithful
Catholic married couples who have a child who is gay. Sartain and his
ill-guided offense against the rights of gay people belittle and
disrespect many who participate in the Catholic tradition, as well as
those who are not Catholic.

If
Sartain wished to mount a petition drive within the archdiocese he
might have invited Catholics to sign a declaration opposing the human
and fiscal waste of America’s hideous wars or the abominable divide that
separates the rich and poor in our nation. Instead he chooses to
diminish the lot of our gay friends, our gay fellow workers and our gay
brothers and sisters.

Archbishops and Cardinals are supposed to be paragons of virtue, not hawkers of hate. Nothing shocks me anymore. This will be interesting - and all we can do is see what develops.LGBT Washington residents can get married effective June 7, 2012.